


The Nature of Soulmates

by Riddlebird-puff (hobbitpuff)



Series: Summer of Gotham 2018 [2]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Dreams and Nightmares, M/M, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-06-07 12:36:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15219278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hobbitpuff/pseuds/Riddlebird-puff
Summary: Jim tracks Oswald at Nygma's old apartment after the events of 4x19 and have a discussion about soulmates.Summer of Gotham Week 4Soulmate AU/Nightmare





	The Nature of Soulmates

**Author's Note:**

> This can be read as platonic or pre-relationship. But it was written as Gobblepot.
> 
> Also- this fic does mention LeexEd but not meant as an anti fic.

James noticed the broken lock first thing and pulled out his gun. He took cover behind the door and called out. “GCPD! Coming in.” He pushed the opened door with his foot and entered, gun in front of his face. “Oswald,” he let out the breath he had been holding and dropped his gun to his side. 

 

Oswald had been sitting at the piano that Jim had woken to Nygma playing what seemed like so long ago. He stood. “What are you doing here, James?” He held a liquor glass and the apartment smelled of strong alcohol. And he wore pajamas and a robe that were too big on him.

 

“Lee Thompkins came to see me, Penguin. She told me you had threatened her.” 

 

“If you’ve come to threaten to kill me if anything should happen to the  _ good  _ doctor, you’re too late.” Oswald chuckled and took a drink. “You’ll have to get in line. Maybe third time’s the charm.” He toasted Jim and downed the rest of his drink. “So I guess you know all about Doc and  _ Riddles _ .” 

 

“Lee told me that she considers Nygma a friend, yes.” As crazy as it might seem to Jim he knew Lee had always held a soft spot for the troubled man. And he wondered if in forgiving Edward she hoped to also find forgiveness for herself. 

 

“And you believed her?” Oswald laughed. “A friend with favors, perhaps.”

 

“Benefits. It’s friend with benefits,” Jim sighed. “And Lee would never- not with Nygma.” 

 

“Oh yes, because a tall handsome man in a suit is so not the doc’s type,” Oswald rolled his eyes. He hobbled toward the bar that had not been there the last time Jim was here, telling him that this was not the first time Penguin had been back at Nygma’s old apartment. “It would seem we both share a like for the same type of man.” He giggled and poured another drink. “What’ll you have, detective?” 

 

Jim knew he shouldn’t. He wasn’t on official duty but having a drink with Penguin was a bad idea. But he felt as though he might need it. “I’ll have whiskey, if you have it.” 

 

“One  _ straight _ whiskey coming up.” Oswald started to pour the second drink but spilled some of the alcohol over the side of the glass. “Oopsey daisy.” He drank the whiskey that had made it into the glass in one gulp, Jim felt nauseous just watching him. Oswald poured again, this time without spilling a drop. 

 

Penguin was drunk, Jim realized. Oswald’s face was bare of his usual makeup and it was clear to see he had been crying, making the freckles on his face stand out. 

 

Oswald handed him the glass and sat on the sofa. Jim sniffed the drink in his hand, it was more than half full and had a strong odor. It was good whiskey, more expensive than Nygma would have been able to afford on his old GCPD salary at any rate. 

 

James  _ should _ have put the drink down. He  _ should _ have left. He  _ should  _ have read Penguin his rights. What he should  _ not  _ have done was sit next to him. He took a sip and started to choke. “What are you doing here, Oswald?” 

 

“Do you believe in soulmates, detective?” he asked instead of answering. 

 

“No,” he shook his head. “I don’t.” 

 

“My mother did,” Oswald smiled sadly. “She told me everyone had a soulmate. That our souls are not meant to be alone and only by joining with the mate of our soul will we be complete.” 

 

“I don’t see what that has to do with why you’re here.” Jim took another drink. 

 

“On my sixteenth birthday my mother read my tea leaves and told me that I would join my other soul in a body of water. I didn’t believe her at the time of course.” Oswald shrugged. “You asked why did I come here, it was in that bed that I finally came to know my other soul.” He pointed to the bed against the far wall.

 

“I’m not nearly drunk enough to hear about the first time your  _ soul _ met with Nygma’s, Penguin.” Jim had suspected Cobblepot and Nygma were lovers for some time but he didn’t need to hear the details on an empty stomach full of booze. 

 

“Nothing inappropriate ever happened, detective,” Oswald giggled. “Nygma slept on this couch while I commandeered the bed. And it was there I had the dream, or one might say the nightmare, for the first time. Although at the time I did not suspect my soulmate was Nygma. I believed it to be- someone else.” 

 

Jim took another drink waiting for Oswald to continue, but he didn’t. “What happened between you and Nygma anyway? The two of you had been thick as thieves, bad breakup?” Gotham would certainly be safer without the two criminals working together, as well as making his job easier. His relief at the end of their partnership had nothing to do with jealousy. He had no reason to be jealous of Nygma. 

 

_ Then why so defensive, Gordon?  _ Jim heard his commanding officer’s voice ask. 

 

“I took something valuable from Nygma, something worth more to him than our friendship apparently,” Oswald looked away and Jim knew there was more to the story than that, and he saw something on Oswald’s face he never thought to see, regret. “He took me to the docks, shot me in the stomach, and pushed me in the waters to drown from my wound.” He lifted his shirt and showed Jim. “So, you see my mother was right. I dreamt that my soulmate would try to drown me. And  _ he _ did.” 

 

James looked down at the scar, fought down the urge to touch it. He was not surprised by Nygma’s betrayal of Oswald. What he was surprised by was his own anger on his behalf. Nygma had never deserved Oswald. 

 

“Seems to me, if there were such a thing, a soulmate would not be someone who made an attempt on your life,” Jim paused.  _ And if they were, you would deserve better.  _

 

“I have almost drowned twice in those waters, it must be fate,” Oswald giggled and put down the shirt. “Perhaps I will only join my soulmate in death, maybe that is the meaning of the nightmare.” 

 

“Perhaps it is your soulmate who is the one fated to save your life.” Jim put his almost empty glass down. “Water often symbolizes life.” 

 

“Did you learn that in detective school?” 

 

“No,” Jim smiled. “A pulp novel.” 

 

“Typical.” Oswald put down his drink. “So what now, detective? Going to take me in?” 

 

“No,” he shook his head. “I’m going to call Lee that I found you and she will contact Butch to come get you.” 

 

“You won’t tell her what I said- about Ed, will you?” 

 

“It will be our secret.” James stood to make the call. “Tonight never happened.” He flipped open his phone.

 

_ The first time Jim had the dream he was sixteen. It was always the same. He was trying to save someone- a man but he always failed. And he never saw his face. _

 

_ He remembered shooting his gun behind Cobblepot’s ear but in his nightmare he did not miss. His bullet met brain. And as Penguin’s body hit the water he twisted around to look up at Jim. And Jim recognized him as the man in his dreams.  _

 

_ Jim did not believe in soulmates, but he knew his soul was connected to Oswald for good or bad.  _

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Please leave a comment if you wish.


End file.
